Coffee buttercream icing is easy to make and the perfect topping or filling for coffee, chocolate, or vanilla sponges.
I don’t like coffee-flavoured foods. Never have. Well, until I started making my own coffee cakes.
My coffee cakes are sweet, and the coffee flavour is probably fairly mild. But I love them!
Coffee Buttercream is the perfect topping for a simple coffee loaf cake or coffee cupcakes or a chocolate cake, and this coffee buttercream recipe is incredibly simple.
When I make buttercream, I often use an equal-parts recipe. Most people opt for 1 part butter and 2 parts icing sugar.
But I prefer a really buttery flavour, that’s not as sweet. So, for something like white chocolate buttercream, that’s got the sweetness of the chocolate, I use equal parts.
However, for coffee buttercream, where we’re adding something very bitter, and not at all sweet, I use the sweeter buttercream recipe.
Ingredients for Coffee Buttercream
For this super easy coffee buttercream frosting recipe, all that you need is:
Instant Coffee Granules – and a splash of recently boiled water, but just enough to dissolve the granules. You could also use dissolved espresso powder.
Butter – don’t be tempted to switch to margarine, which is oil-based and gives you sloppy icing.
Icing Sugar – or powdered sugar
Some recipes call for brewed espresso or coffee from a machine to make coffee buttercream icing, but I find instant is really easy and gives you a great flavour. It also makes it easy to control how strong your coffee is.
Equipment
You can absolutely make this buttercream recipe with a mixing bowl, a wooden spoon and a kettle and cup to mix your coffee.
I do recommend using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer though, just because it’s easier to mix the butter and sugar.
How to Make Coffee Buttercream
I start with room-temperature unsalted butter, so I try to remember to take this out of the fridge for a while before starting.
Beat this until soft, whisk or beat in the icing sugar and then add the coffee, folding through carefully.
If your icing is too runny, add a little more icing sugar. If it’s too stiff, I’d stir through a little milk. But just a bit at a time, as liquid, can make a big difference to the texture of the buttercream.
You are aiming for a stiff, bit pipeable consistency.
Tips for Making the Best Coffee Buttercream
This recipe is super simple and unlikely to go wrong, but some tips include:
- Don’t use margarine.
- Try not to over-mix, so just beat the butter until it’s softer, and whisk or beat in the icing sugar until there are no lumps.
- When it comes to how to add coffee to buttercream, make sure it’s cool to the touch before adding, and then gently fold through.
- Again, try not to overmix, if, in doubt, it’s better to undermix.
Why Does My Coffee Buttercream Curdle?
If your coffee buttercream has curdled or split, it’s typically a temperature issue.
Your butter might have been too cold, but it’s more likely that your coffee was too hot.
Because you are only mixing the granules with a little water, it cools fairly quickly, but make sure you touch it with your fingertip to make sure it’s cool.
If your butter was too cold, you might be able to fix it by popping the bowl (heatproof) over a Bain Marie and heating it very gently as you whisk.
If your coffee was too hot, you can try popping it in the fridge for a few minutes before whisking again.
These sometimes work, sometimes not, it depends on how broken your buttercream was.
Another thing that I’ve found effective for fixing buttercream is adding some chocolate. It will change the taste, but it works for me!
Carefully melt 50g-100g of milk or dark chocolate and leave to cool. Carefully fold the cooled chocolate in.
Does Coffee Buttercream Need to be Refrigerated?
It depends on a few things.
Buttercream has a lot of sugar, which helps to kill bacteria and preserve it. So, unlike other dairy, it can stay fresh outside of the fridge.
But it should be covered, and I’d only keep it out for up to 3 days. If you want to keep it for longer, or your kitchen is very hot, keeping it in the fridge is a good idea.
I’d also keep coffee buttercream in the fridge if you haven’t made the cake yet until you need it.
Can You Freeze Buttercream with Coffee?
Yes, you can freeze coffee frosting. But it can get a little gritty, so I always recommend freezing it separately from the cake in an airtight container.
This way, you can thaw it in the fridge and whisk in a little milk. This often brings it back so that it’s smooth again.
How to Use Coffee Buttercream
Coffee flavour buttercream is perfect as a filling for a layer cake or topping for coffee cake, but also chocolate and vanilla cakes.
This is quite a big portion, which could easily cover and fill a cake, or ice 18-24 cupcakes.
Coffee Buttercream
Ingredients
- 200 g Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
- 400 g Icing Sugar
- 6 Teaspoons Instant Coffee (And a Splash of boiling water)
Instructions
- Dissolve the coffee in a little boiling water and leave to cool.
- Beat the butter until soft.
- Add the icing sugar and whisk or beat until smooth (I use an electric whisk and it takes a few minutes).
- Pour in the coffee and gently fold until it’s well mixed in.
Notes
- Use as little water as you can to dissolve the coffee.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
